though i know
there are so
many.
there is one that
comes to memory. now.
her name, Rita
Dove. whom once
spoke in front of
world leaders.
whom won peace
and a nobel prize
for her very
thoughts alone.
and i remember.
the moment
years ago,
having read parsley.
what horrors
in the world
we just may
never know.
her words about
a single word.
so beautiful.
endearing.
yet, that a son used
to slaughter
thousands.
and it has been over a
decade since
i first read her thoughts.
and they still
haunt me the same.
as if it were
that first page turning.
of a book written
~about Rita.
how chilling
to think a heart~
a human one,
could be so
calculating
and dark.
oh, Rita,
what have
you done?
that to this day.
i may mourn
the tongues
whom could not
roll an "r"...
for the word
~parsley.
a son,
and for
the memories of his mother~
ceremoniously,
would~
slaughter more
toward
entirely.
Author notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, Please Google "Rita Dove Parsley" and read the Poem and How Rita's poem, "Parsley" was conceived.
Then return here and read this poem once more, to get the full effect.
Background on Rita Dove and "Parsley":
"Parsley" by Rita Dove; U.S. Poet laureate(1993~1995)
Winner of The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Her Poetry Collection: "Thomas and Beulah" in 1987.
Rita read "parsley" at the White House in front of Many World Leaders. And Changed the Thinking of Many of Them that Night. The poem she wrote is based on true events that would make many a dictator blush.
This Poem was Motivated by the evil Creativity of the real life Dictator, "Rafael Truillio" who slaughtered thousands of Haitians because they could not pronounce the word, "parsley" in Spanish, the "r", correctly.
The Hatians of course would pronounce the "r" sound with the French sound made in their throat instead of "trilling' the tongue as the Spanish "r' requires.
Truillio intended to murder the Hatians anyway as a matter of racial cleansing, but instead of just "unceremoniously" killing them, this evil dictator lined them up and required them to pronounce the word for parsley in Spanish, which is, "Perejil".
So as these haitian French "r" pronouncing tongues failed to replicate the Spanish trill...
They were marched off and "ceremoniously" slaughtered.
The Poem, "Parsley", masterfully engages the images of sugar cane, a parrot, the death of Truillio's Mother, and the word itself, "parsley", thus, the poem concludes:
"The general (Truillio)
remembers
the tiny green sprigs
men of his village
wore in their capes
to honor the birth
of a son (Truillio)
He will order many
to be killed
for
a
single
beautiful
word."
-Rita Dove.
I do not do Rita enough justice, I know that. It's enough for me...
To have known who she is, and the power of a single word, and what that may bring. ~pithyAplomb.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A contest entry
- Your best work (Quickie). by jocelynclaire.
300 points, ended June 9, 2008, 34 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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I'm a big history buff and this was a good tribute to Rita. It had a lot of emotion and it was powerful. I would take out the excerpt at the end and let people figure it out for themselves haha. Good luck.
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This was beautiful and haunting especially the ending.I will have to look her up.
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